The players of FC Bayern have had relatively few encounters with Olympique Lyon in their history, this overwhelming power in European women’s football. The first meeting was a big one: August 2020, Champions League under unusual conditions, a final tournament was played because of the pandemic. The defending champion waited for FC Bayern in the quarter-finals. The Munich women were well prepared, which made an impression. They fought, played offensively and bravely, Lyon actually got nervous. But it wasn’t enough – neither for FC Bayern nor in the final for VfL Wolfsburg. Olympique took the crown for the seventh time.
Now there will be a reunion on Wednesday (9 p.m., Dazn) on the third day of the group, and the chances are not bad that things could turn out differently this time.
The winning streak of the long-term winners then broke at some point. The Champions League was won by FC Barcelona in 2021 and the French championship after a 14-year Lyon subscription to Paris Saint-Germain. The season without a major title was followed by a cut. Coach Jean-Luc Vasseur had to leave, the former orienteering soccer player Sonia Bompastor has taken over a squad that currently has to do without regular goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, the German national player and director Dzsenifer Marozsán and goal scorer Eugénie Le Sommer. They are all awarded to the US club OL Reign, a kind of sister club of Lyons. Important players have also left the club, such as Nikita Parris (Arsenal). But above all, it is another FC Bayern who are now on the pitch.
The Munich women have built a strong sense of solidarity
At that time, Jens Scheuer had just completed his first year as a coach in Munich, which was characterized by upheaval. The additions for the second year under Scheuer’s direction, such as Lea Schüller and Marina Hegering, then experienced their first test in the new jersey with the quarter-finals against Lyon in summer 2020. The team first had to find each other – and in the round that started afterwards stood out all the more with team spirit and dominant football: championship won, semi-finals in the cup and in the premier class. And this season, the club should benefit from the fact that little has changed in the strong core line-up. What currently results in the fact that the Munich women lead the league with by far the most goals (28), the fewest goals conceded (5) and two points ahead of VfL Wolfsburg.
“We have gone through a huge development process since then. Not only in terms of football, but as a whole team,” said defender Carolin Simon on Tuesday. “Especially when it comes to our self-confidence, that has grown enormously. We have noticed what a lot of team spirit can do, what effects it has on success. We tried to intensify and expand that further.”
For Scheuer, the integration of the entrances was particularly impressive; the team had learned that unity has to be the top priority. “But we still have great development potential. We should still learn to deal better with pressure situations,” said Scheuer. “We have to become even more resistant, believe even more in our strengths and be less impressed by external factors.”
Back in the premier class: Ada Hegerberg is overwhelmed by emotions after she was back on the pitch for Lyon after a 625-day injury break against Häcken at the beginning of October.
(Photo: Michael Erichsen / Bildbyran / imago)
Whether his team will be impressed by Lyon will also depend on one person: Ada Hegerberg is back. The 26-year-old Norwegian was the first female footballer to be awarded the Ballon d’Or in 2018 and is the record scorer in the Champions League with 53 goals. In 2015/2016 she met 54 times across all competitions. Of all people, she was absent from Lyon for more than 20 months after tearing her cruciate ligament during training in January 2020. In October 2021, she made her comeback in the Champions League at BK Häcken from the 78th minute after 625 days. “I’m delighted that such a player is coming back as a familiar face for women’s football,” said Scheuer. “I hope she plays tomorrow. In a game like this you want to play against the best.”
The 43-year-old counts Lyon as one of the favorites for the title this season, alongside Barcelona and Paris, after the lean period, “but we shouldn’t make ourselves smaller than we are either”. If in the end the Munich women have grown bigger than Lyon since the last encounter, they could take the lead in Group D. Which would give an enormous boost, also with a view to the Bundesliga top game against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday – before the second leg against Lyon takes place next Wednesday.
In any case, Jens Scheuer is not worried about Hegerberg’s return. He knew, he said on Tuesday before departure, that his central defenders can parry Hegerberg’s qualities. The self-confidence of Bavaria is recognizable. Now it just has to be enough.
.
